Which brand of essential oils to choose. Don't be fooled - how to choose an essential oil among hundreds of fakes

Hello Ecoholics!

Long post for those interested in aromatherapy

Nowadays, the use of essential oils is becoming more and more popular, especially among ecoholics. Aromatherapy is a fascinating and serious thing, it has not bypassed me either, this topic is very interesting to me. Having learned something from aromatherapy, I learned its main rule - the essential oils we use must be of high quality ! Only a truly high-quality oil can give the desired result. Of course the most reliable way determine the quality of EM - a method of gas chromatography in the laboratory, but this method is not subject to "mere mortals", so you have to cope on your own. In this post, I will talk about how I determine the quality of EM. This is my personal opinion based on different sources information and from my experience, so comments, corrections, suggestions are welcome!

So, I pay attention and consider the following:

1. Price.

Yes, as you know essential oil(EM) can't be too cheap. The production of EM is a costly business. Imagine, you need to buy a huge amount of plant materials, often some plants are brought from far abroad - hence the transportation costs. It is necessary to rent or buy premises for production, certain equipment, specialists and workers who need to be paid are important. Without the purchase of containers for oils, the development and production of labels cannot be avoided either. I think that some laboratory tests for the quality and purity of oils are also carried out and there are many, many more nuances of production that we do not know about. All this costs money and not small.

Therefore, when I see that an EO in a pharmacy costs 80 rubles, I am immediately tormented by vague doubts ... Just imagine how much effort and expense has been invested in a bottle of oil and whether these efforts and expenses can pay off at a price of 80 rubles.

I also met manufacturers who sold all oils at the same price - grapefruit, rosemary, pine, cinnamon, and patchouli. In this case, doubts also arise, because each plant has its own oil yield! See from 100 kg raw materials receive:

eucalyptus - 3 kg EM,

lavender - 2.9 kg,

chamomile - 0.7-1 kg.

And to get 1 kg of rose essential oil, you need to process 1-2 tons of rose petals!

Therefore, it is impossible to set one price for all oils, so to speak, there will be no exhaust!

And even more so, if you see the EO of roses, sandalwood, neroli or jasmine (I somehow unknowingly bought Elfarma jasmine for 250 or 300 rubles) at a price of 200-500 rubles per 10 ml, this is not an essential oil! These are the most expensive essential oils in the world, they are often sold in 1 ml, and prices for 1 ml start at 1000 rubles. Some manufacturers dilute expensive EOs in base ones and talk about it with honesty. For example, you can find EM roses in jojoba. A conscientious manufacturer will never write that it is 100% rose EO, but honestly indicate that it is diluted in jojoba oil. I saw such oil, for example, in AuraCacia - everything is open.

Despite all of the above, essential oils can be bought at a more or less affordable price. All the oils presented in my photo are quite adequate (except for Iris, they have rather big prices).

There are, of course, high-quality oils "with a name", like Primavera, Vivasan, Iris, doTerra, they are quite expensive and it seems to me that it is more expedient to act on the principle "Less is better" Rather than stock all the shelves with cheap oils from the pharmacy, it is better to buy several bottles of high-quality effective oils.

2. Reputation, company policy, openness.

Some EM brands have already earned their positive reputation, so you can safely try them. Many brands are quite open to the buyer - on their websites you can find the necessary certificates, information about suppliers, test results, etc. Reputable companies often hold aromatherapy seminars, post their scientific work, recommendations, etc. Such openness for the client is conducive to buying, which means that this is not a manufacturer who badyazhet something in the basement

3. Natural flavor

Everything is simple here, if you buy orange EO, it should smell like orange, spruce EO, respectively, spruce, etc. Of course, we simply don’t know the smells of many plants (for example, how does real ylang-ylang or litsea cubeba smell?), so the rest of the “rules” must apply here. I have come across Botanica lemon EO, which we sell in many stores, and so this oil and the aroma of lemon have nothing in common. Botanica smelled like Bon-pari sweet candy, not lemon!

They also say that the aroma of essential oil is “voluminous” and multifaceted. To calculate the volume of the aroma, you can conduct a small test:

We take EM (I took lavender), 3 pieces of paper (I took a napkin) and number them for convenience. We drip oil on paper 1, after half an hour we drip on paper 2 and after another half an hour on paper 3. Then we listen to the aroma of each, it should be a little different. It's not even about the saturation of the smell, but how it reveals itself differently over time. If the aroma is the same and “flat”, this may not indicate the highest quality of the EO.

4. Appearance.

The oil is poured into dark glass bottles.

Glass is the most correct material for bottles, because. oils do not react with it, unlike, for example, plastic. Dark - because oils must be protected from sunlight, otherwise they may change or lose their properties.

The volume of vials is most often 5, 10 or sometimes 15 ml. Some manufacturers also make large bottles of the most popular and necessary oils. For example, in AuraCacia or "Aromashka" you can find lavender and tea tree oils, 50 ml each. Buy it, buy it!

The bottle must be equipped with a pipette dispenser, because the dosages of oils are calculated in drops.

Also, the label must indicate the name of the oil in 2 languages ​​- in the language of the manufacturer and in Latin. For example: Aura Cacia has Ylang ylang (Cananga odorata) or Iris has Lavender (Lavandula officinalis).

At my aunt's, I saw Aspera brand sage oil in the bathroom - and so it had only the Russian name on it.

Also, information about the manufacturer must be present on the label.

5. Lack of "tasty" flavors.

I took this point from Svetlana Mirgorodskaya's book "Aromalogia". There are no essential oils of strawberry, raspberry, peach, mango, melon, watermelon, cucumber, etc. Bottles with such fragrances are most often sold under the name " aromatic oil" or " aromatic blend". I personally saw such a bottle with the inscription "Melon". This is not an essential oil, but simply a mixture of oil (well, if natural, but it seems to me that most likely mineral oil) and fragrances. Some people add such “oils” to aroma lamps, I would not do this, you never know what we will breathe while doing this!

6. Reliable sources.

Here I am referring to books, scientific papers on aromatherapy, blogs and articles by aromatherapists, which often provide recommendations and reviews for various oils.

I like the articles on the sites Aromashka, Aromarti, the video on Youtube on the AromatherapyTV channel, the books by S. Mirgorodskaya "Aromalogia", T. Litvinova "Aromatherapy: professional guidance in the world of smells". If you watch and read something, write, pliz, very interesting!

In principle, this is the main thing that I consider when choosing essential oils. There is also a very common test when you drop oil on paper and leave it for an hour or two and, supposedly, there should not be a trace of the oil. This test is slightly wrong. First, some oils can stain white paper. For example, orange EM oil is orange and bay oil is brown, so these oils will leave colored marks, albeit light ones. Someone writes that this method can only determine whether the EO was diluted with a fatty base (then the oil will leave a greasy trace), but here it is worth considering that some oils contain resins (for example, myrrh oil) and can leave greasy spots. Therefore, such a test is mostly stupid)

As you already understood from the photo, I love the oils of the American brand AuraCacia, which I order on the IHerb website, I fell in love with Aromashka oils, a domestic brand that buys oils from large conscientious suppliers and sells them under our own brand. I am satisfied with their price, quality and performance. Even in the plans for Aromarti oil, a manufacturer widely known in narrow circles (), it was recommended to me. Well, if it works out, someday I will try both Primever and Vivasan - very respected brands!

And now I will tell you which oils did not pass my test. Let no rotten tomatoes fly at me:

Botanika suspiciously cheap. As I wrote above, lemon does not smell like lemon. I also took an orange - it was nuclear orange! There is clearly something wrong, most likely the dye. And my Instagram friend wrote about their jojoba base oil – it didn’t freeze in the freezer! As you know, jojoba oil is essentially wax and it freezes at low temperatures (this is how I checked the jojoba "Spivak" and NowFoods - both froze), and so Botany's "jojoba" did not freeze! So I don't trust this brand.

Elfarma- I already wrote that at the beginning of my passion for aromatherapy I bought their oils, specifically - jasmine for 300 rubles. Jasmine EO cannot cost that much, this is one of the most expensive oils in the world!

Aspera- every pharmacy is filled with them, they are cheap! Such a low price raises doubts, and also, as I wrote above, I did not see them on the bottle Latin name the plant from which the oil is obtained.

I have not tried more cheap and suspicious brands of oils.

Despite the fact that there are now many unscrupulous manufacturers selling synthetic fluids instead of esters, diluting the esters so that they do not leave any useful properties etc. etc., there are honest respected manufacturers who make quality products.

I urge everyone who is interested in aromatherapy to be very careful in choosing an essential oil, because it's about our health and beauty!

Thank you for your attention!

Selection of essential oils for Russian market is quite large, the range is represented by many domestic and foreign manufacturers.

Aromatherapy lovers are hard to find quality product due to price dispersion and lack of awareness. Is it possible to determine which brand essential oils are of high quality? Quite if you know a little more about the product.

We define quality

The production of essential oil is not regulated by law; there is not even a clear definition of it. Under the guise of natural products, dishonest merchants can quite legally sell ordinary flavored oil, which is completely useless to health. There are several criteria to determine a quality product:

1. The oil is made from essential oil plants. These include Umbelliferae, Rosaceae, Myrtle, Labiaceae, Conifers, and Citrus. Cucumber or, for example, watermelon oil cannot be essential.
2. The cost of different oils from the same manufacturer varies. The most inexpensive due to the cheapness of raw materials and ease of production are coniferous and citrus fruits. For 50 ml rose oil it takes a ton of flowers to recycle, so it's the most expensive.
3. According to the international standard, oils are packaged in dark glass bottles equipped with a dispenser, with a volume of 6-15 ml. Elite products are available in containers from 1 ml.
4. There are no marks on the label: “environmentally friendly”, “aroma oil”, “100% essential”. For domestic manufacturers, the quality indicator will be the inscription "100% natural essential oil", for foreign - "100% essential" or "pure and natural". Be sure to indicate the botanical (Latin) name of the plant from which the oil is produced.
5. Price good product cannot be low. Cheap oil is either synthetic or made from low-quality raw materials, in violation of technology.

To determine which company has quality essential oils, you should carefully study the information about the company, its range, and production features. Reviews on the Internet are often false, aimed at promoting a product or discrediting competitors.

Reliable data can be obtained on the official website of the company and thematic forums of aromatherapy lovers. For example, consider several popular manufacturers.

Austrian company with almost century history engaged in the production of oils. A serious international corporation has grown from a small family business. Production points are located all over the world - from Europe to Australia. Styx has been present on the Russian market since 1994 and operates through official distributors.

Essential oils from Styx are of high quality and certified according to the international standard. They can be used for aromatherapy, cosmetology. According to some reviews, oils are imported to Russia that cannot be used in medical purposes i.e. for oral administration. Products suitable for such treatment can be purchased in foreign (European) online stores. The prices of oils "Styx" do not differ in availability. This is an elite high quality product with a corresponding value.

Russian company, more than 20 years on the market. Engaged in the production of aromatherapy, perfumery and cosmetic products. All raw materials, including finished oils, are ordered from trusted foreign suppliers, and production takes place in our own laboratory.

In addition to the production of its own products, Iris offers a number of unique services: aroma diagnostics, aroma peeling, professional aromatherapy services. Has its own clinic. The company provides training in aromatherapy on a fee basis. All these facts characterize Iris as a serious organization with a responsible approach to business.

Essential oils from Iris have Russian and European certificates. The products are positioned as absolutely natural and safe even for medical use. According to many buyers, the price of oils is too high for a Russian manufacturer. Meanwhile, "Iris" holds the quality bar high, professionally organizes the accompanying service (consultations and training), so that the cost of production is fully justified.

A relatively young company, founded in 2001. It produces cosmetic and perfumery products, raw materials are purchased abroad. The company is quite solid, at the All-Russian exhibition in 2014, Botaniki massage oil won first place in its category. With aromatherapy products, things are more complicated.

The first thing that attracts buyers of Botanica essential oils is the price. It is on average 10 times lower than that of competitors. A natural product as difficult to produce as real essential oil cannot be so cheap.

The label contains the botanical name of the ethereal plant, there is an inscription “Essential oil” and is separately marked “100%”. Information speaks well natural origin raw materials. At the same time, the inscriptions indicate that the content of the vial is not real essential oil produced by the traditional extraction method.

Botanica oils are most likely synthetically produced from low quality raw materials. They can be used for air deodorization, during wet cleaning, in home experiments with perfumery. For aromatherapy or enrichment cosmetics this product is practically useless. The manufacturer indicates that the oil is not intended for oral administration.

Conclusion

To find a reliable manufacturer of essential oils, you need to carefully study all the available information: the company's website, the presented range, product reviews.

Serious passion for aromatherapy or natural cosmetics- quite an expensive pleasure. It is impossible to save on the quality of essential oil without risking beauty and health.

How to determine the quality of essential oils?
Before answering this question, it should be explained by what parameters the quality of the oil is determined. The quality parameters of essential oils are their effectiveness and harmlessness to the body.

What determines the quality of an essential oil?
The quality of the oil depends on the method of production, the place where the plant grows, the time of collection and the period of storage. The quality of the oil is also affected by climate and soil, as well as chemical fertilizers, and even insect repellents. The way the oil is made matters. Some parts of ethereal plants, such as flowers, quickly lose their qualities. Therefore, they must be used as soon as possible. But such as roots or seeds can be stored longer. They are transported to different parts of the world. There are features in the assembly of ethereal plants: some are collected at certain hours of the day or certain time year, during flowering or fruit formation.

“... At the end of June, the time of jasmine began, in August - tuberose. These plants possessed such an exquisite and at the same time fragile fragrance that it was necessary not only to pluck the flowers before sunrise, but also to subject them to a special, most careful treatment ... "

P. Suskind. "Perfumer"

Essential oil quality
By outward signs high-quality oil - transparent, without sediment, homogeneous. After evaporation of a drop of oil from the surface of the paper, no greasy stain remains, but if the oil has a color, then slight staining is possible. The quality of the oil can also be determined as follows: apply one drop of oil on three sheets of paper with a frequency of 30 minutes. And then sniff. On the first sheet there should be lower shades of smell (lower tone) - balsamic shades. On the second (middle tone - heart tone) - tart, refined notes, on the third (upper tone) - freshness and lightness prevail in the shades. All these various tonalities in the melody of essential oil are natural and speak of quality oil. If all three leaves differ only in the intensity of the smell, and not in the variety of sound, then ... it remains only to guess what kind of oil it is.

Labels can also tell you about the quality of the oil. If the labels say - 100% pure, 100% artifisches (essentail) oil (100% pure; 100% essential oil), then this indicates confidence in the quality of essential oil producers. They do not need to assure buyers that the oil is “own bottled” or “environmentally friendly oil” and make other beliefs. In accordance with International Standards The label must not contain promotional information. If it is indicated on the bottle that it is "Aromatherapy Oil" - this is not a pure essential oil, but this is not a falsification either. "Oil for aromatherapy" is a mixture of essential oil (10 - 15%) with mineral, base oil or alcohol (85 - 90%). On the other hand, if it's being sold as ethereal, then it's just a scam.

Another important determinant of the quality of the oil is that the bottle should be made of dark glass with a dosimeter on the neck. The beauty of the bottle does not mean the high quality of the oil. The most optimal packaging of oil is 10 ml, except for special valuable oils- rose, jasmine, verbena, tuberose, which can be in a 1ml container. (there are 2 and 5 ml)

And the name of the brand is an important guarantee of high quality.

How is the price of an essential oil determined?
The cost of an essential oil is determined by the quality, rarity of essential oil plants and the percentage of essential oil in the plant. In the latter case, several examples can be given: 3 kg of oil are obtained from 100 kg of eucalyptus, 500 g of oil from 100 kg of juniper, 50 g of oil from 100 kg of bitter orange flowers, 16-19 kg of oil from 100 kg of clove tree buds, and 100 kg of lemon balm leaves - 100 g butter.

The cost of essential oils depends on the cost of raw materials (hyssop is more expensive than bitter orange flowers - neroli); from the method of obtaining essential oil: enfleurage (jasmine) is a more expensive procedure than steam sublimation (melissa), and steam sublimation is more expensive than pressure (peel oils - mandarin, lemon); from environmental restrictions on production (sandalwood).

Sometimes from the same plant you can get essential oils that differ in their properties, action and aroma. This also affects the cost. For example, three different essential oils can be obtained from a bitter orange: "Petit Grain" - from the shoots, "Neroli" - from the inflorescences and "Bitter Orange" - from the peel of the fruit.

What explains different cost oils of the same name even within the same manufacturer? Essential oil contains high percent oxygenated hydrocarbons. The higher this percentage, the stronger oil irritates the skin. The process of reducing oxygenated hydrocarbons in essential oil causes a gradation in the cost of the oil of the same name. The cost of the oil also depends on the volume of production of essential oils by this company. The larger the volume, the cheaper the essential oils.

Essential oils are produced all over the world, in some countries more, in others less, and each country has its own specifics. It's connected with climatic conditions countries that promote the growth of certain plants.

The largest producers of essential oils in the world market are Styx Naturcosmetic Austria, Bergland-Pharma Germany, Vivasan Switzerland, R.Expo India, Floressence France, and Russian company LECUS.

Lekus products and website - https://lekus.ru/

Natural essential oils affordable prices, can only be produced by large companies. If the company selling oils is smaller, then the price is always higher. And in order to compete on prices with large companies, sometimes you have to lower the quality of products. This is where synthetic fragrances come in.

What is the shelf life of essential oils?
The shelf life of essential oils could be called long - an essential oil could be stored for as long as a good wine. But it all depends on storage conditions. Since the essential oil evaporates easily, if the cork is not tightly closed, soon nothing will remain in the bottle. Essential oils deteriorate rapidly when exposed to light and high temperatures. Therefore, taking into account the possibility of storage in dark bottles, a well-closing cork (not rubber), as well as the storage temperature, we can approximately name the shelf life of oils:

- citrus oils - orange, lemon, mandarin, bergamot, grapefruit - 1 year. Optimal storage mode t = 10° +15° С.

- resinous oils - patchouli, myrrh, sandalwood, vetiver and the like - a shelf life of 2 years when optimal mode storage from +15° to +40°. If stored incorrectly, they thicken and the shelf life is shortened.

Essential oils love temperature stability.
If the oil is expired, it cannot be used, it will not bring any benefit.

If essential oils are diluted, then they begin to lose their properties after about two months, the aroma and useful qualities gradually disappear.

If you use oil frequently, and therefore open the cork, the oil will come into contact with the oxygen contained in the air more often. Thus, the shelf life is also reduced, i.e. approximate time the shelf life of an essential oil can be considered a year and a half at an average temperature for all oils of + 15 ° C.

All essential oils have healing properties: bactericidal, analgesic, antiseptic. But synthetic fragrances do not have these properties. The ability of essential oils to easily penetrate the skin and be included in the bloodstream is used in cosmetics, therapeutic massage, in aromatherapy.

If you use essential oils for massage, be sure to dilute them with a base oil, i.e. vegetable oil, which in itself has medicinal properties, as it contains many vitamins and biologically active substances. Vegetable oils help essential oils to penetrate our body. Some people prefer to use oils such as sweet almond oil, avocado oil, jojoba (oil in the form of liquid wax), peach, apricot, etc., but in reality our oils - sunflower, corn or olive have no less healing properties than exotic.

Some tips and precautions when using essential oils:

Pure, undiluted oils should not be taken internally. In this case, the doctor can prescribe the treatment and dosage.

It should be remembered that essential oil is very strong remedy! When pure essential oil comes into contact with the skin, there can be not only allergic reactions but even burns! In this case, they should be removed. cotton swab moistened with any vegetable oil (sunflower, olive oil – the best helpers). Water will not help in this case. The fact that essential oils do not dissolve in water is written above.

Never combine essential oils different kind without consulting an aromatherapist, as the choice of oils and their combination play a huge role. There are sad stories about many of these self-made decisions. And with acute neuroses or an unstable psyche, the results can be quite tragic.

For children, essential oils - their combination and amount - should be used after consulting a doctor, as the use of essential oils can cause negative reactions in the body of babies.

During pregnancy, essential oils can also be used after consulting a doctor, most likely, the recommendation will be negative.

Freshly prepared aromatic compositions lose their medicinal properties over the course of one week.

While receiving others medicines you should consult with your doctor about the possibility of using essential oils.

When you first start using an essential oil, check to see if you have any allergies. Start with small dosages. And in no case do not exceed the dosage indicated as permissible. Take a bath initially no more than 3 - 5 minutes.

If essential oil gets into your eyes, rinse with pure vegetable oil, not water.

It is better to use all essential oils for no more than two to three weeks, then a break.

Citrus essential oils (orange, lemon, grapefruit, tangerine, petit grain) should be used 4 hours before going outside, as they increase skin sensitivity to the sun, i.e., pigmentation is possible.

When using oil, first ask your loved ones and those around you if they like this smell.

Since essential oils are capable of spontaneous combustion, they should not be stored or placed near a fire.

They should be stored out of the reach of children, and it is best to immediately dilute the essential oil after purchase with some kind of base, i.e. vegetable oils (in a ratio of 1:10).

Fragrances are an integral part of our life. The great Hippocrates said: "Medicine is the art of imitating nature."

The use of plants in our lives makes it possible to find natural remedies in order to be healthy and happy.

natural essential oils- natural aromatic substances extracted from ethereal plants.

Synthetic essential oils, these are oils obtained on the basis of synthetic aromatic substances and are identical to natural ones both in quality and quantity chemical composition. They are much cheaper than natural ones. Synthetic oils do not give that physiological effect, they do not have the activity of natural oils, and the smell cannot be completely reproduced with their help. Synthetic oils can be completely identical to natural ones, but they always differ in their chemical structure.

artificial oils- oils that mimic the smell of natural ones, but not the composition. These oils contain in their composition some of the natural oils in combination with synthetic ones. They are created exclusively for perfumery in order to imitate natural aromas. For medical purposes, these oils are useless.

The use of synthetic and artificial oils in perfumery is legal and is not a falsification. It is thanks to these categories of essential oils in perfumery that consistency of composition and aroma can be achieved. This constancy is not possible when using natural essential oils, since different batches of the same essential oil name differ from each other in quality, processing technology and other factors.

How to choose the right essential oil? This question is asked by everyone who wants to experience the life-giving power of this natural product. We have collected the most simple tips, armed with which, you can easily find the coveted bottle with real essential oil in hundreds of bottles.

About amazing properties essential oils you already know everything. And if you decide to try aromatherapy, add essential oil to cosmetics to improve the properties of your shampoo or shower gel, it remains to choose the right essential oil. In this we will help with practical advice.

Volume. The standard volume of most essential oils is 5-10 ml. Expensive oils, such as jasmine and rose, may be in 1-2 ml bottles.

Package. The bottle of essential oil should be made of dark glass, usually brown. In no case do not take essential oil in plastic or transparent glass.

dispenser. The bottle should have a pipette or a dropper (only 1-2 ml bottles do not have them).

Protection. The bottle should have a stopper with a first opening ring or protection against simple opening, like medicines.

The inscription on the bottle. Here the name of the plant is indicated in Latin (from two words - the species and generic names) and in the language of the trademark. The manufacturer and his address are also indicated. If these data are not available, you will not be able to claim the quality of the product.

Checking on paper. Such a test will tell you if a fatty solvent is added to the oil. Drop essential oil on paper and leave for 1 hour. Then look at the paper: there should not be an obvious greasy spot on it.

But the trace of the oil still remains, otherwise it is worth doubting the quality of the essential oil. Some oils do not fully evaporate, such as myrrh and frankincense. There are also those that color paper: yarrow, chamomile, patchouli.

These essential oils do not exist in nature.. You cannot get essential oil from melon, kiwi, mango, strawberry or banana. If you see something like this, you know - these are synthetic flavors.

Price. This is perhaps one of the main criteria for determining the quality of an essential oil. The cost is determined by the percentage of essential oil in plant materials: the higher the percentage, the lower the cost of the oil.

Here are a couple of examples: eucalyptus - 3% (up to 3 kg of oil is obtained from 100 kg of eucalyptus leaves), rose - 0.03% (only 30 ml of essential oil can be obtained from 100 kg of rose petals). It can be seen from the examples that rose oil cannot cost as much as eucalyptus essential oil. And if in the store you see that the cost of these two oils is the same, you have a clear fake.

Nose. If you decide to immerse yourself in the world of aromatherapy, it is important to first learn to recognize the quality of the oil. And your own nose will help with this. Here's what to do. Buy the same essential oil from different manufacturers and you will see how different the flavors of each oil will be.

If you feel a pungent smell that does not change, but only weakens a little, - in front of you synthetic oil. It is not suitable for aromatherapy. Natural essential oil has three notes, the aroma is revealed gradually.

Feeling the real essential oil, its depth, you can easily learn to identify fakes that look flat against its background.

The original recipe for marzipan flavored mix

An interesting recipe for a mixture with the smell of marzipan from Natalia Milovanova, a member of the EcoLook Organic Cosmetics Association:

“For the base, you can take jojoba oil. For 7 ml of base we take 1 drop of cinnamon, 6 drops of vetiver, 10 drops of fennel, 11 drops of petite grain and 10 drops of orange. You will get approximately 10 ml in total.

The mixture is concentrated. It can be used for taking a bath. To do this, dilute ½ teaspoon of the resulting mixture in a tablespoon of salt or honey.

Another good way Applications - aromatize your body lotion: for 100 ml of lotion - 5 ml of the mixture.

I really like bath salts with this mixture. For 200-300 ml of fine sea salt, add 10 ml of the mixture. I use this salt as a body scrub.

Essential oils are odorous substances that are produced by essential oil plants. These aromatic products, subject to their quality and naturalness, can have a beneficial effect on the body. However, in the conditions of modern competition and highly developed technologies, one can often encounter fakes that, in fact, bring more harm than good. For this reason, it is important to know how to choose the best essential oils correctly, so that later you do not regret either the money spent or the undermined health.

Kinds

To begin with, you should understand a little about the concepts in order to understand how essential agents affect the body. So, the following types of aromatic oils are distinguished:

1. Purifying. They contribute to the removal of harmful toxic elements from the body, which positively affects the condition of the skin. These include: lavender, rosemary, lemon.
2. Exciting. Raise psycho-emotional state at the level of feelings. This is facilitated by: ylang-ylang, jasmine, rose, sandalwood.
3. Tonic. have a corresponding effect on internal organs and also improve appearance skin cover. They do an excellent job with this task: basil, lemon balm, cinnamon, dream.
4. Relaxing. Effectively relieve stress and restore mental balance. In this category it is worth noting: lavender, oregano, chamomile.
5. Harmonizing. With the restoration of inner peace and a sense of peace cope: geranium, marjoram, tangerine.
6. Firming. Used as strengthening agents for hair and nails. These include: cedar, vetiver, verbena.
7. Refreshing. Saturate the body with a charge of vivacity and keep it in good shape. This is facilitated by: fir, immortelle, orange.
8. Soothing. Relieve stress and anxiety. To do this, it is advisable to use funds based on: lemon balm, vanilla, bigardia.

Most essential oils have several properties at once, which equally affect problem areas.

How to get

In the manufacture of high-quality aromatic products should be used traditional methods proven over the years:

pressing

This technique is ideal for obtaining citrus species based:

• orange;
• lemon.

The process itself uses the technology of cold pressing, which involves squeezing the rind of the fruit, resulting in a flavored mixture of liquid consistency. Subsequently, this mixture is carefully infused, forming an oily film, which is the basis of the essential oil.

Maceration

AT this case used only active substances plants that are extracted by infusion in a liquid medium. The raw materials are petals, inflorescences or rhizomes of plants. A special fluid environment is created using:

• glycerin water;
• vegetable oils;
• alcohol with water.

In order to get more concentrated mixture the infusion process can take several weeks, during which regular stirring is necessary. The final stage of maceration comes down to filtering the finished mixture.

Distillation

There are two types of distillation used to obtain essential oils:

• steam;
• direct.

The technology itself comes down to placing raw materials in a special mesh, which is subsequently installed in a container located above boiling water. As a result of exposure to high temperatures, the aromatized components evaporate, which are then condensed in a gravity separator designed to separate liquids. It is through this equipment that the transformation of raw materials into an essential mixture takes place.

Enfleurage

The presented technology is used to obtain floral aromas. The most commonly used rose or jasmine. The process itself is reduced to the use of pre-purified beef or pork fat, which is applied to a glass surface. Flower petals are laid on top of the fat, after which the process of absorption of essential compounds by the fat is started, which can last for weeks. The result is lipstick, which is subsequently dissolved with alcohol and thoroughly shaken throughout the day to separate finished product called "absolute".
The absolute is a flavored substance with a rich aroma of high quality, which has healing effect on the body. Most widely this remedy used in the cosmetics industry to produce quality cosmetics. There is an opinion that the use of the absolute in aromatherapy is contraindicated, which is due to the possibility of containing residues of chemical-type components in the form of acetone, ethanol and hexane.

How to define quality?

Before continuing to study the information, we recommend that you watch the following video from a Russian expert, the creator of the Aromatherapy Association:

Most often, aromatic products are purchased for the treatment of certain ailments and diseases. For this reason, you should know what to look for when choosing the best essential oils:

In order to select a quality essential agent you can use the following test:

• three paper sheets are taken, on each of which one drop of aromatic oil is dripped with an interval of half an hour;
• after an hour and a half period, the characteristic of the smell is checked: the first drop reveals the lower tones of the smell: earthy, balsamic; the second is tart, the third is fresh. If the smell is felt in this way, then the oil is natural.

Effective essential oils

Regardless of the variety of essential oils, they are all unique and useful in their own way. However, there are in some way universal species that differ a wide range beneficial effects, and high efficiency. For example:

Jasmine

It is a flower with white or yellow petals. Essential oil based on jasmine has a warm and exotic aroma that helps to get rid of depression, restore skin's water balance. You can use the product by adding it to the bath, cream, applying to the temporal zone and the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe wrists on the hands.

Chamomile

Chamomile smells fresh and sweet aroma, which has a relaxing effect, thereby normalizing the state of mind and sleep.

Rosemary

A mixture based on rosemary is actively used for massage treatments relaxing type, as they effectively release the legs and body from fatigue and tension.

Tea tree

It has a fresh camphor aroma. This essential oil is a fairly strong antiseptic. Also suitable for getting rid of dandruff and is excellent. For this purpose, the agent is rubbed into skin covering heads. In addition, the tool has a regenerating and anti-inflammatory effect. In some way, in the world it is believed that tea tree this is the best essential oil.

Lavender

Lavender essential oil found wide application in the field of perfumery. AT therapeutic practice Lavender has a relaxing effect, relieving stress. Perfectly copes with diseases of the common cold. In this case, inhalation procedures are performed, involving the inhalation of lavender vapor.

Eucalyptus

Helps relieve cough and pain in the throat, for this reason it is often added to mouthwashes, as well as cough syrups.

Manufacturers

You can determine the best essential oils by manufacturing companies that have proven themselves in the market. The most reliable and proven of them are:

• Bergland-Pharma (Germany). The company is known for producing high quality essential oils. About 30% of the European market is allocated to its products.
• "Aromaterapie Karel Hadek" (Germany). Another German manufacturer producing aroma oils therapeutic type original quality.
• "Styx Naturcosmetics" (Austria). The company specializes in the production of essential oils, as well as other aromatic products. Every year, company representatives monitor the conditions for growing and transporting essential oil crops in order to obtain best quality of your product.
• "Just International" (Switzerland). The products of the Swiss company are distinguished by a high degree of purification. The reason for the frantic demand for the products of this company is the absence of any chemical components.
• Vivasan (Switzerland). The company specializes in the production essential mixtures and cosmetics medical type based on natural raw materials.
• "Floressence" (France). The French also excelled in the manufacture of essential oils and aromatic fragrances. A wide range of raw materials is used in the production of oils.
• Lekus (Russia). Produces natural quality cosmetics using unique ingredients. The production technology complies with all international standards.

In order not to run into a fake, look at how the bottles of the listed manufacturers look like:

Vivasan essential oil
Essential oil from Styx Naturcosmetics
Lecus essential oil Essential oil from Just International